


Gramps

by DaniDeservedBetter



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Fluffy, Headcanons Everywhere, mostly backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-06
Updated: 2018-03-06
Packaged: 2019-03-27 18:18:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13886433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaniDeservedBetter/pseuds/DaniDeservedBetter
Summary: Beware of bright-eyed children, they'll eventually steal everything-- including your retirement.





	Gramps

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted to write this because I adore Rex and Azurda’s relationship. I love Rex in general tbh. It’s cool that they didn’t really go for the whole “lovable idiot” protag trope for him. Massive spoilers up to Chapter 8 for Rex’s backstory and other plot details.

There was some commotion at the village, and Azurda could not see what it was.

All the people of Fonsett gathered ‘round the entrance, huddled together, talking so lowly that only faint murmurs could reach his withering ears. It was quite the strange sight, indeed. No one had sent for a homecoming, and traders from Mor Ardain weren’t due for another week at least, so there was no telling who had come to Fonsett— especially with how far off the other settlements were. Azurda could only hope it wasn’t trouble.

But that was why he was here, or so he’d promised long ago. His power was so rarely called upon that he’d begun wondering if the rest of the world had forgotten it, and what it protected. It certainly seemed that way sometimes.

Azurda swam from the cliff at the village’s edge, heading for the archway, moving slowly to avoid drawing attention to himself. He couldn’t get too close with the beach stretching out so far, but he could maneuver himself beyond a large boulder, just out of sight from the villagers. Here, he could get a closer look at the ruckus.

The men and women hunched over a figure he couldn’t see, some shouting now, others running back to the residential area to grab things he could not determine a use for. He couldn’t see the person on the ground, but judging by the shouts, it was a woman. She was crying.

“Rex,” she whimpered. “Please, help my Rex.”

_Rex?_

Azurda tried to get a better look, but his attention was stolen when a door slammed next to him, startling him from his concentration. A middle-aged woman hurried past, a wet cloth dripping in her hands.

“Corinne,” Azurda said, stopping the woman in her tracks. She glanced up, whitening hair falling into wide, nervous eyes. His own gaze softened. “What on Alrest is going on?”

She wrung out the towel and continued down the pathway. “A woman washed ashore on one of the harbor islands. We think she had a husband traveling with her. She’s not in good shape. But there’s something else—”

“Corinne!” one man, the mayor of the village, Willas, called. “Hurry! Please!”

Before Azurda could question her any further, she sprinted to the archway. She collapsed to her knees upon reaching the other villagers and what must have been the woman. However, it was when she leaned in, wrapping her arms around something the woman carried, that realization tightened Azurda’s heart.

This woman had not come here alone.

A few more of the villagers knelt around her, one pulling her onto his back. Corinne shouted from her place in the dirt, pointing furiously at her house. “Stippon! Bring her to my spare room! Quickly, we must tend to her!”

The group of villagers broke, helping Stippon and the woman in every way they could, but some lingered behind in front of Corinne. After what seemed like an eternity, she rose, her arms holding tightly to something in front of her— Azurda still could not see.

And when she turned, Azurda’s breath left him.

There, cradled in Corinne’s arms, was a child.

He was small, smaller than a boy his age probably should have been, but aside from that he was free from the dirt and bruises that had covered his mother— no, this boy was practically untouched in every way, the one exception being that his deep black hair was mussed so that it fell in his face. Even his clothing was pristine. He didn’t stir in Corinne’s grasp, his sleeping face as innocent as Azurda had ever seen.

She walked forward, glancing mournfully at Azurda. He could only lower his head in remorse.

Corinne gazed down upon the child, tightening her grip around him. “He’s fine,” she said. “Perfectly fine. I don’t… I don’t understand what could have happened.”       

“There is much unrest in the world these days, Corinne. They might have gotten mixed up in this, somehow.”

“I know, but…” She sighed. “It’s not fair. Not to him.”

She started as the boy finally began tossing in her arms, flailing out, reaching for something he couldn’t find. His eyes cracked open.

“M-Mummy…”

Azurda inhaled sharply. “This child…”

At the sound of his voice, the boy looked up, holding his stare for only a few seconds before once again falling limp in Corinne’s embrace. Still, Azurda could not look away. “Those eyes,” he murmured. “I—”

Corinne frowned. “Please, Azurda, tell me there is nothing wrong with him.”

“No. It’s just that I have only seen eyes like these once— no, twice— in my lifetime. And it has been quite a while since. I would keep close vigil on this one, Corinne. Eyes like those can only mean trouble.”

***l~**

They found the boy’s father the next day. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done for him. He’d lost his life on one of the connection isles, just outside the Cloudway, miraculously untouched by the monsters prone to roaming the area. It was in the small miracles, Azurda supposed. Such as sending his wife and son on towards Fonsett, in hopes that she would make it, in hopes of giving that boy a fighting chance.

The mother was not as lucky as her son.

Corinne and the village apothecaries and doctors were doing what they could, but supplies were low due to it being a few days out from the merchant trips. The woman, giving no name for herself, remained unconscious. She had wounds, too, the likes of which Azurda hadn’t seen in a very, very long time. Whether it was indeed war collateral, a monster attack, or simply people hurting people, Azurda did not know. But the woman was fading fast. For his part, the boy stood quietly at her side. Azurda knew the child felt something was amiss. He didn’t breathe a word to anyone.

It was late the next evening when the last doctor, an herbal specialist, left Corinne’s house. Nothing more was to be done. Azurda sighed, stretching his head so that it rested in the grass beside the back room.

After a few seconds, the window opened, and Azurda peeked inside.

“Nosy old fogey,” Corinne murmured, though her jab was halfhearted. She backed away, allowing moonlight to spill into the cramped space. Boxes and old furniture filled what was obviously a storage area, and yet the woman was tucked into a bed just under the window. Her son lay curled up at her feet. Corinne sat at the edge, shaking her head sadly. “It’s only a matter of time now, Azurda. I don’t know what to do.”

“Nothing _to_ do, except let the ether take its course. As is the way with humankind. It’s truly a shame, however. She deserved more time with the boy.”

“Indeed…”

She hung her head for a second, chewing on her lip, as if she was deciding what she wanted to do. If Azurda knew Corinne, and he did, very well, idleness would not suit her current emotions. Sure enough, she started moving a few moments later. She layered more blankets on her guests, exchanged the cooling cloths on the woman’s forehead. She brushed her hair from her eyes.

It was nearing midnight when a small groan crept through the room, so low that Azurda mistook it for the house creaking. But Corinne was at the woman’s side in an instant. She took her hand.

“There, there,” she cooed. “It’s all right, you’re safe now.”

“W-where…?”

“You’re in Fonsett Village, in Leftheria,” she murmured, mixing the olfactory herbs she’d been given. A sharp scent reached Azurda’s nose. “How are you feeling?”

The woman didn’t respond. Instead, she glanced down, looking to the child at her feet.

“Rex…”

Corinne leaned back, following her gaze. “Rex? Is that his name?”

“Yes. Is he—”     

“Don’t worry yourself. He’s fine. _Perfectly_ fine. It’s… a right miracle, with the way you look.”

“I…”

With a sigh, she closed her eyes, shifting her head so that she once again rested against the pillow. Azurda watched as her hand twitched, tightening around Corinne’s. “I… cannot thank you enough for your kindness. Never would I be able to. I have no right to ask this, but… But please…” Her eyes filled with tears. “Please take care of my Rex. _Please.”_

Corinne exchanged glances with Azurda. He huffed. The situation… it truly couldn’t be helped. He gave the slightest nod, and Corinne’s eyes narrowed with determination. She ran her fingers through the young woman’s hair. “He will be safe here. That is a promise.”

“Thank you… Truly…”

She took one more shaky breath, her hand moving from Corinne’s, reaching down. She brushed her fingertips across the boy’s forehead.

She did not move again.

The boy awoke to the noises of men carrying his mother to the hill beyond the village, laying her to rest before he was awake enough to realize what was going on. They erected her tombstone, the boy watching on, heaviness worrying that innocent face of his.

It would be a long time before he’d see Rex smile.

A long time, indeed.    

          

* * *

 

“Azurda, I have never cared for a child before.”

The comment had taken Azurda by surprise. It was true that Corinne had elected not to get married, not to have children, but she was and always had been such a caring sort. Visiting the sick, helping out around the village— such things were not uncommon for her. She’d been that way ever since _she_ was a child. But now, seeing her tending to the boy in much the same way as she tended his mother before, Azurda could see the wariness in her eyes. She absentmindedly trailed her hand through Rex’s hair. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to do this.”

“You’ll do just fine, Corinne,” Azurda said, nudging gently against the house. “If I’m honest, I don’t think Rex could’ve been placed into a more fortunate household, given the circumstances.”

“…Do you really think that?”

“I wouldn’t say such a thing if I didn’t! Besides, if you ever feel that you need help, I am always here for you. Don’t tell the others, but I find myself closest to you.”

A smile played at her lips. “Is that so?”

“Yes! Don’t forget who played a part in raising _you,_ and you weren’t easy as a child.”

“Hmph. Keep on, and I’ll begin to doubt your confidence with the young ones.”

“I’ve dealt in my share of children,” Azurda said, rustling his wings haughtily. “I like to think I’m quite good at it. Eight hundred years’ experience, and all that.”

She chuckled, but the boy stole her attention again. “Poor thing. He’s done nothing but sleep since he arrived here. There’s no telling what he’s been through. Where do you suppose he came from?”

“I’ve wondered that myself.”

And he had. He’d pondered that since his mother stumbled through the village archway. Perhaps he was Ardainian, though there wasn’t much besides his clothes to back up this hypothesis. In fact, the mother had been dressed in Tantalese clothing, of all things. He was too light-skinned to have come from another part of Leftheria, and lacked the naturally-elongated ears of an Urayan, yet the mother’s accent had not been Ardainian, either. The child’s origin was truly a mystery— one that had died with his parents. But there was something about him that _had_ grabbed Azurda’s interest.

“It’s quite funny,” Azurda said, shaking his large head, “and a bit foolish to say, but— he has the eyes of a Tornan.”

“A Tornan? I thought… I thought they all… died, with their Titan. Or isolated themselves.”

“Well, all except one.”

“Surely, Rex is not--”

Azurda nodded. “Surely not. But I have never seen eyes as bright or big as that, except for on Tornans. And not on all of them, then. Merely my observation. But, according to you, I’m old— my own eyes might be failing me.”

“Codger,” Corinne murmured. “Either way, I’m happy to have you here. I don’t know what I would do if I was in this alone.”

“Do not mention it, Corinne. This is _why_ I’m here. I will take care of him if you are unable. That is a promise.”

“Thank you for that, Gramps.”         

“What have I said about calling me that? I’m not some doddery old man, you know!”

 

* * *

 

 “Don’t wander off too far, Rex,” Corinne called, glancing up between her digging and planting. The little one merely waved, running past the dirt plot she was working in.

“Auntie Corinne! Mayor Willas is showing us how to swim in the Cloud Sea today!”

She smiled, wiping her hands on her apron. _“Is_ he now?”

Azurda couldn’t help but grin himself, watching as the man walked past Corinne’s vegetable patch, both hands tightly held by some village children as others ran ahead of him. “Don’t tell me you have objections, Corinne!” Willas laughed.

“Of course not, as long as our Rex enjoys himself.” However, she broke eye contact, leaning toward the fence where Azurda had situated himself. “You _are_ going to be watching out for them, right?” she murmured.

“Would you expect anything less?”

“Auntie Corinne! Look! Look!”

Rex excitedly jumped from the ground, his back to the cliff’s edge. It was a long way down to the Cloud Sea below. Corinne ran to the fence, gripping it tightly. “Messet Point? Don’t you think they’re too inexperienced for that?”

“I seem to recall it’s how you learned, yourself,” Azurda pointed out.

“You are not helping! Willas, please!”

“Calm down, Corinne. You know all the village children do it. Rex will be fine, and so will the others.”

“You’ve changed quite a bit with the boy,” Azurda chuckled as he swam toward Willas and the children. “I used to never hear you decline an adventure!”

Indignation crossed Corinne’s face, and he laughed so loudly that he couldn’t hear her snarky comeback. He swung his head around to face Willas, close enough to the cliff to intervene if there was trouble. He nodded, showing he was ready. Willas nudged Rex, who looked down to the clouds with eyes brighter than Azurda had ever seen them.

He’d changed in the short time he’d come to the village. Rambunctious, a handful, always smiling, always laughing. And yet, for adventurous as he was, he was sweet, too. A good, happy child. It did Azurda’s old heart good to see. He’d hoped Rex would fit well with them— he’d had enough hardship in his short life. But he’d taken to Corinne in a way Azurda had never expected. The two were so alike, if it weren’t for physical differences, he’d swear they came from the same blood.

Rex bent down, and with an encouraging pat on the head from Willas, careened from the cliff and disappeared into the Cloud Sea below.

“That was a good one!” Willas cried.

Azurda chuckled again, floating through the clouds and dipping one wing into the mist. Rex surfaced on top of it, inhaling deeply.

“Again! Again!” he squealed in delight. He flung his arms around the spine of Azurda’s wing. “Gramps!”    

“Very well,” he said, stretching his wings to the shore. More _plunks_ followed, signaling that others had jumped in behind. “But you’re swimming to the beach yourself!”

Corinne shook her head. Azurda gave her a pointed glare. “You can blame Corinne for that one.”

“What is he supposed to call you? ‘Mister Titan?’”

Rex threw himself off Azurda’s wing, pulled along by some of the older children, until he’d formed himself a nice Noppy-paddle to reach the sand. It wasn’t much, but it would suffice. It was certainly better than him demanding to be lofted by Azurda’s horn again— _that_ was an experience he’d rather not relive.

Rex and the other children made for the beach. Azurda only turned his head for a moment. Only a moment.

But when he heard what sounded like metal scraping against metal, like something hitting the sand, like cries from Rex and the other children, he knew something was wrong.

“Monster!” someone called.

Willas darted to the edge of the cliff. “There’s no way,” he called. “Not this close to the village!”

 Corinne wasn’t far behind, running so fast she nearly tripped on the fence, eyes briskly scanning the beach below her. The boulders blocked the children from view. She inhaled sharply. “Azurda, _Azurda,_ can you see what’s happening?”

He flapped his wings, pushing back from the cliff face.

“Children!” he cried. They didn’t respond. As fast as he could, he twisted his body around, launching from the clouds and onto the shore. He reached out, one claw taking the boulder as he peered above it.

It nearly shattered in his grip when he saw what was on the other side.

A silver monster had encircled the kids, its dragon-like maw hovering inches from where they cowered beneath it. The serpentine skin hovered just about the ground, kicking up the sand, tail flicking at any one of them who tried to run free. A couple of the boys brandished sticks or sharp rocks, trying to pierce its armor. The eldest girl, holding Rex’s hand, pulled him closer to her.

Azurda couldn’t believe it. A _Lexos?_ Normally, they didn’t wander close to the village, preferring to dart in and out of the Cloud Ridge instead.

Could… something have disturbed it so badly that it sought to make its next meal the children of Fonsett?

Six or seven of the kids huddled down, all close together, fists tight and bodies hunched as if they were ready to spring into action. Rex, youngest amongst them, mirrored their positions. Those bright eyes narrowed in defiance.

They would not stand a chance against it. Not without a way to use ether.

The Lexos reared back, preparing to strike. Azurda was between it and the children before it even had a chance to move.

He bared his teeth, flaring his wings at it, sending the creature scrambling sideways in a fit of rage. It did not go far, however, merely turning back to the village with a renewed fire in its eyes. Azurda stood proudly, locking gazes with the beast, an unspoken challenge passing between them. The Lexos did not submit. Lifting himself once again, Azurda opened his gaping jaws, using his wings to shield the children behind him. Onlookers who had gathered at the archway, Corinne and Willas, gasped.

Azurda closed his eyes, reaching into the atmosphere, feeling the energy around him. He drew from it what he could, concentrating until he felt the ether rippling around him. And then, like a dragon breathing fire, he shot it at the Lexos.

It released an unholy screech, flying back. Corinne and Willas ran from the archway, grabbing the children and ushering them up the stairs. Poor Corinne was having a time with Rex, though, who’d collapsed to his knees— probably frightened out of his wits. Azurda continued his pointed staredown of the Lexos. He was nearly about to take it into his maw and throw it into the Cloud Sea, when a shout from above grabbed his attention.

“Please, wait!”

Azurda paused, mid-chuck. Corinne, Willas, and Rex all froze as well, looking up to the stone outcropping overlooking the village entrance.

There, a petite-looking girl in rugged clothing stood pensively, observing the fight with wide, eager eyes. Behind her, a bulky figure had its arms crossed, a bored look on his face. A weapon was strapped to her back. But that was not what caught Azurda’s attention.

A dim link of pure ether connected them.

 _A Driver,_ Azurda realized. A Driver, in Fonsett. Sure, they came while escorting the merchants— but it was so rare that they came on their own anymore. It had been too long, Azurda figured, too long since they’d known what this place was.

The girl, Urayan by the looks of her, pointed to Azurda’s mouth. “This little guy wouldn’t happen to be attacking you, would he?”

Willas quirked an eyebrow. “Guy?”

Corinne simply looked horrified. _“Little?”_

She nodded in satisfaction, exchanging words with her Blade they couldn’t hear, the girl pointing at the Lexos. Corinne had long since given up trying to pull Rex back to the village. He was still in the sand, breathing heavily. Though his skin was a bit paler than usual. Azurda wondered if he’d really been scared that badly. And yet, the boy's eyes remained on the Driver, gaze never once leaving her movements.

Mayor Willas marched beside Azurda, glaring to the girl. “And who are you?”

“I’m a mercenary!” she shouted, sliding down the incline. She beamed as she approached, shaking Willas’s hand excitedly. “Sent from Fonsa Myma in Uraya! I’m here to apprehend this monster!”

“U-um…”

Azurda spat the Lexos out, frowning down at her. “Good timing, I suppose. If you’d waited any later, I’m afraid you would be searching inside the Ridge.”

She chuckled. “Yeah, sorry about that. Got a little turned around. All these islands look the same, you know? Anyway, Sordai!” She gestured to the figure behind her, and then to the Lexos. “Mind taking care of this one for me?”

She shot a grin back at the brute, but before he could move, a burst of color shot from the beach below. The crimson ether wave hit the cliff just below her, causing it to crumble into dust.

Rex shouted in alarm, breaking from Corinne’s hold, but Azurda took him in his mouth before he could get too close. The girl, the Blade, and the cliff face went up in dust, crashing down into the grass below.

They expected minor injuries, at least— yet when the rubble settled, there stood the Blade, arms cradling the girl.

She scowled. “Jerk move, bloody monster.”

Rex’s eyes widened.

The brute sat her down, and she reached for the weapon on her back, a greataxe. With a heave over her shoulders, she leveled it at the Lexos. Her lips twisted into a grin. “Now you’re done.”

She swung back, and though the axe looked to weigh as much as she did, she had no trouble wielding it--the brute’s etherflow met the weapon’s core crystal. In no time at all, its energy raged across the air until the girl’s body literally sparked with raw power. All the while she moved down the beach, meeting the other Lexos art-for-art. She was skilled. Incredibly so.

The Lexos took an almost vertical stance as it nipped at her. The girl wasn’t fazed, jamming the greataxe between its jaws. The Blade fired off a quick succession of arts, right into the beast’s throat.

After taking several hits, the Lexos changed its strategy. It darted into the air, moving closer to the cliff face, shooting wave after wave of ether attacks at the small Urayan girl. She ran after it, sliding in the dirt. She didn’t even notice that she’d put herself between it and the stone.

The Lexos screeched, charging ether into its maw. The girl dodged sideways. Her back was to the cliff now, and the Lexos moved in, encircling her just as it’d done to the children before.

But before it could pounce, a gray blur shot between them, and the monster’s attack met a solid golden wall.

Sordai, the Blade, had blocked its attack.

The girl reached back, tossing the axe in the air, and pointed towards the Lexos. “Now!”

Her Blade shot forward.  He caught the axe, and suddenly the ether enveloped both Blade and Driver, wholly, unbreakably. Their opponent opened its maw, summoning arts at an unimaginable pace. With every movement, more water erupted into the air. Azurda could feel the wetness even from down the pathway.

“What kind of arts is she using?” Willas said. “She’s at a disadvantage is it’s anything but—”

_“Fire Blade!”_

Azurda smirked, placing Rex back on the ground. “Does that answer your question?”

Back to back they stood, girl and Blade, each with one hand on the axe’s grip. Shockwaves cascaded outward from where the blade met the ground. And suddenly, the heat was gone.

All that remained on the beach was the streaming wisps of steam, evaporating into the air just as all ether did.

Azurda and his companions watched on, speechless.

The light surrounding the pair faded. Slowly, the girl replaced the axe on her back. She was breathing heavily, her hair having come out of her ponytail, but otherwisevshe looked completely unfazed. She walked up to where the monster had once been, before it faded to either. In its place was a pile of silver scales.

“Hey Sordai, can you bag these? It might not be much, but at least our client can make a tidy profit off the half we give him. Won’t hurt our bottom line either.”

The brute saluted, and took the scales without much effort. With a smile, the young woman turned to face them. “Thanks again!”

Willas snapped out of his stupor. “Er, is there anything else we can do?”

“No, thank you— this should be fine—” However, her smile faded a little, and she shifted uncomfortably. “I’m sorry to have bothered you like this. We’re aware that it’s pretty quiet in these parts, so we try to keep fighting away as much as we can. Unfortunately we can’t get to everyone in time.” She sighed. “This monster has been hitting travelers and merchants pretty bad lately. Me and Sordai were sent to cull them before they ended up attacking villages— like right now. The guy who hired us to fight it lost his daughter to these things, so they’re nothing to toy with.”

“Oh.” Willas bit his lip. “Oh.”

The girl summoned her smile back. “But, still, justice calls! I’ll need to get back to Fonsa Myma now. Take care!”

She and her escort started down the pathway, hoisting the bag of leftover scales over the brute’s shoulder. Corinne and Rex ran beside Azurda, Rex stumbling slightly forward. He turned back, eyes curious. “That lady fought good.”

Corinne knelt to wipe the dirt from his cheeks. “That’s nothing to worry yourself about, young one.”

Willas, meanwhile, shook his head. “She sure was… an interesting one.”

“Brave, too. Things are hard in Alrest,” Azurda chimed in. “And they will keep on getting harder, until things change dramatically.”

“Still, though, mercenaries, in Leftheria? They’re pretty sketchy sometimes. She could’ve tried something else. Why not salvaging? At least that’s honest work.”

“Some are not cut out for that,” Corinne murmured, probably a bit more forcefully than she meant to with Rex still in her arms. “Drivers, Blades, salvagers, Titans— there’s good and bad in them all. It’s my only hope that each of us remain in the right kind of company. That girl is doing good for herself.” She frowned. “Are you getting a fever?”

“They were so good,” Rex chirped. Lively as ever, despite the heaviness in his eyes. “That was c _ool!_ I wanna be a Driver, too! _”_

She swatted him on the head. “Don’t go getting any ideas. That kind of work is dangerous. You’d have to wait until you’re older. Anyway, it’s time for dinner. What say you to some pan-fried tartari?”

Rex squealed again and darted from Corinne’s hold up to her house. She giggled, glancing to Azurda. “And I suppose a large helping for yourself?”

“If you would, kind lady!”

She gazed after Rex. “I don’t get it. People don’t just get sick like that. He was doing fine, until—” Slowly, realization crossed her face. “Until you and that monster disturbed the ether!”

Azurda’s lips thinned. “Curiouser and curiouser.”

“You don’t think he’s sensitive to that kind of thing?”

“There are those that are. We know not of Rex’s origins. Perhaps he comes from a long line of ether-users. If so, then this newfound dream of becoming a Driver is not as farfetched as you may wish for it to be.”

She threw her hands up. _“This_ child…”

               

* * *

               

Little feet plunked through the grass, splashing mud on the tree roots, turning pale bare skin brown with every step. Azurda heard this, frowning as he squinted through the rain. The splashing muffled other noises in the trees, atop the cliff next to him, and Azurda sighed. They sounded a lot like sobs.

“I couldn’t—” the child blubbered, lifting tiny fists to his eyes. “I can’t—”

Azurda lifted his head so that he was eye-level with the cliff. There stood little Rex, head tilted down, frame shaking so hard that Azurda imagined the slightest gust of wind could knock him down. His bright eyes were sunken and tinged in red. They looked too much like the eyes he’d had when he first came to Fonsett.

Rex wiped the tears as they came, but they were quickly replaced with more, mixing with the rain already streaming down his cheeks. Azurda rested his chin on the ground, gently nudging him.         

He did not respond.

“Why are you crying, child?” Azurda asked.

The boy took a moment, turning so that he hid his eyes from view. Azurda sighed. “Come now, it’s no use hiding your sorrow. You’re quite the open book. There, that’s it,” he said, as the boy glanced back at him. He scrubbed at his eyes again.

“An urchon washed up on the beach today,” he murmured, voice small and scratchy from crying. Azurda perked up in interest.

“Was Willas with you?”

“No. He went back to take home the kids who wanted to leave. Then the Urchon washed up and some of the other boys wanted to fight it. I wanted to fight it, too, but then it attacked all of us. It-it—” He sniffled, and threw out his arm.

And then, Azurda understood. Long, angry slashes marred the soft skin near his wrists. Corinne wouldn’t be pleased. They were shallow though, and had already stopped bleeding, so this surely wasn’t the thing that prompted the boy to cry as if his heart had been shattered to pieces.

“That wasn’t all that happened, was it?”

He shook his head. “The others— they got hurt a lot worse. I couldn’t help at all! I don’t know how to fight!”

“But why would you want to?” Azurda sighed. “To learn such a thing is a terrible burden. Balancing power and gentleness is one of the hardest things in this world, and I’ve known only few who’ve done it effectively.”

“It’s not hard if you _try!_ You can be powerful and be gentle!”

“You believe that to be the case?”

“What if you wanted power _to be_ gentle? To— to—” He wrung his hands, searching for an answer. “To stop others from getting hurt! If I knew how to fight, then others wouldn’t have to, and I wouldn’t have to worry about them all the time.”

A small smile found its way to Azurda’s face. “So are you protecting for their sake, or for your own?”

He groaned, and the conflict in his eyes a _lmost_ made Azurda regret asking. But, perhaps, that was a bit of a loaded question to ask such a young boy. And yet, even in conversing with someone who stood a third of _his_ height, the one who’d caused Azurda to question such things in the first place, Azurda felt five centuries younger.

_Greedy…_

Perhaps he could exchange the philosophical for the practical for now. The rest would come in time.

“You want to learn how to fight? You want to be gentle _and_ know how to fight?”

The boy nodded, eyes defiant as ever. Azurda smirked, straightening. “I believe that’s something I can help you with.”

For a split second, the boy looked as if he was going to question what Azurda meant by that, but instead he went rigid. Azurda opened his mouth, and charged an ether shot.

One high-pitched, terrified scream later, scorch marks littered the ground where the boy once stood.

Rex looked over, breathing heavily, expression wild with trepidation. And then, Azurda fired again. And again.

Rex dodged and dodged, flailing on the grass, each time only narrowly missing Azurda’s blasts. Of course, Azurda would never actually hit the boy, but testing his reactions was necessary. It was only when Rex placed a hand on his forehead, blinking stars away, that Azurda stopped.

Rex met his gaze. His big eyes widened.

And then, they filled with tears.

“You’re not here to help!” he wailed. “You’re just a bully, too! I thought you could help me! I thought you were different!”

“Calm down, child,” Azruda tried.

He did not.

“Child!”

It was no use. The kid was gone. He tilted his head back, shaky knees collapsing under him, and down into the mud he went. Azurda huffed. Now Corinne would be all miffed about the poor child’s clothes getting dirty. And if she couldn’t get the stains out, well…

Economic troubles did not end at the well-developed countries. Not by a long shot.

Azurda leaned his head down, gently maneuvering it past the boy’s shoulders so he could reach his shirt. Taking it in his teeth, he ripped the boy from the grass, and stood him on his feet.

“Rex!” Azurda shouted, so loud that it sent the last remaining birds scattering.

The boy lowered his fists, apprehension draining the redness from his cheeks. “H-Huh?”

“That is your name,” Azurda said, straightening once again. “Is it not?”

“Y-Yeah…”

“All right, then, Rex. I’m going to show you something. Close your eyes.”

Based on the look on his face, the child was still wary, but he did as the Titan asked nonetheless. The boy would have to work on that. Such blind trust would hurt him in this world, of that there was no doubt. Still though, Azurda studied him, wondering if he was about to make a mistake. Surely this kind of lesson wouldn’t be over this boy’s head. Not if he understood the relationship between power and fear. His big, stony lips thinned.

“Now, then— this world is a vast place, Rex, vaster than you could know, but all corners of it have something in common. Mor Ardain, Uraya, the Nopon trade guilds, the Indoline Praetorium, even territories we have not seen or heard of.”

The boy’s mouth hung open. All traces of previous bawling were gone. “Even here?”

“Indeed.”

“And Rigitte?”

“Rigitte is not that far, child,” Azurda said, sighing.

“How ‘bout up there?”

Rex pointed to something behind him, and Azurda had to crane his neck to see, but even then he’d known what the boy was talking about. The tips of it peeked just above the cloud ridge, mist shrouding the farthest reaches, yet the faint green pulsations could reach their view easily. Azurda nodded, humming in contemplation. “Ah, yes. The World Tree.” He turned back to the boy. “I have never been there myself. In fact, there are rumors that only one person alive even has. But I don’t see why it wouldn’t be the same. You see, all beings in this world are connected through what we and those before us have named the Ether.”

He waved excitedly. “Like what Drivers use?”

“Ether is what gives us strength, Rex. It is what allows us to breathe the air in this world, to grow closer to it, to forge connections with the earth and people around us. Not everyone can feel the ether in the atmosphere. But for those who can, adapting to its ever-changing nature becomes a way of life. And yes, Blades are the foremost examples of this. But to be a Driver, you must be sensitive to the ether already present, and you have to be able to adjust to it.”

“But… how do you know if you are?”

“If you get dizzy when ether is disturbed around you.”

Rex made a face and Azurda burst in to laughter. “Now, now, that can be fixed. Once you learn how to use ether, excess energy won’t overpower you. That is just something that comes with patience.”

“Patience, yeah…?”

Azurda nodded. Chuckles fading into a smile, looking down at Rex as he was now, he felt a spark in his soul that he hadn’t felt in a _long_ time. “I’ll teach you how to use the Ether to defend yourself, Rex. You may not be a Driver, but even you can use Arts if you can feel what others can’t. But I can only do this if you are willing to push yourself in the way that these techniques demand.”

“I…” He glanced to the ground again, as if searching the puddles for answers, but after a moment his fists tightened. He looked up again, resolve on his face. “Can. I can do it.”

“It will be hard.”

“Then I’ll try harder!”

Like it was some kind of challenge… Azurda smirked again, closing his eyes. “That’s optimistic of you. Perhape too optimistic, but I suppose that’s all right. But I will tell you now, Rex. You cannot expect to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders alone. There will come a time where you will learn what to carry, and what to let go. It will be a hard lesson to learn, but learn it you must. Sometimes, you will have to let others save themselves.”         

“Maybe that’s true! But I _will_ help as much as I’m able!”

Azurda shook his head. “I’m sure you will. And I’m _just_ as sure that it’ll get you into more trouble.” He backed away from the cliff. “Come along, now, my boy. Let’s get you back to Corinne for the night. We’ll play tomorrow, if that’s really what you wish.”

However, when he turned to make sure that his charge was following, he saw that Rex had not moved from his spot. Instead, those eyes of his were still focused upward, to the World Tree’s outer reaches.

The boy was still curious.

“Oi, say, Gramps…”

“Yes, what is it?”

“What d’you suppose is up there?”

Azurda gave him a sidelong glance. “The World Tree? What made you think of that?”

“I dunno.” He shrugged. “Seems like a lot of space for it to just be a bunch of branches. And people come from all over, but I’ve never seen another Titan, so I guess I wondered why the Tree is different. People sure talk about it like it’s all important. And it glows! Is all of that ether?”

“Well, the truth is that you wouldn’t be the first to question such things.”

Rex, surprised, made a noise that sounded something like a mix of inquiry and offense. Azurda raised his head toward the sky. The moon illuminated his stony gray skin.

“There’s an ancient tale of that place. The one which you mentioned, resting far above what we can see. You see, legend has it that, before you or me or even all the Titans of the world, mankind used to live atop that tree. It was a peaceful, bountiful existence, all united by the fact that they were children of a divine entity known as the Architect. The Architect was said to have designed this world—”

“But if that’s true,” Rex interjected, “how come we don’t live there anymore?”

Azurda huffed, and Rex rolled his eyes. “If you’d kindly let me finish! No one knows the reason why the Architect cast humankind away. It could be a vast array of things. Either way, the humans were sent to live here, on Alrest. But there were no Titans then.”

“None? So what, did everybody drown?”

“Oh-ho! It was apparent that the Architect saw man’s suffering, and took pity on them. And thus, the Titans, said to be servants of the Architect, were sent to mankind’s aid. Humans settled upon our backs and cultivated our hides, which were by all means tailored for their use. Ever since Titans and humans have lived together in harmony. All who live today are the descendants of that generation cast down here, to the Cloud Sea and what later became known as Alrest. But that ancient paradise above the Tree, more now myth than memory, is said to still exist. And it is still called by the name as it was thence known— Elysium.”

“Um—”

“Respectable storytelling, if I do say so myself, isn’t that right?”

“So, wait.” Rex sighed. “The Architect took pity on us by sending _you?_ Why didn’t he just let us back onto the Tree?”

Azurda snorted, offense coloring his eyes. “Where is your awe? Your gratitude? You children just get more and more disrespectful with each passing generation, I _say—_ ”

He continued mumbling to himself, oblivious to Rex’s continuous questions. However, he did notice when the boy turned back to the sea, looking to the tree again.

“Elysium, huh…”

               

* * *

 

Rex grew, and the little family he’d come to have grew as well. For him and Corinne, it was more love to go around, but Azurda saw the weariness in the woman’s eyes. More Leftherian orphans, more love, more mouths to feed.

Three small children from one of the outlying villages came to Fonsett one day, escorted by Mayor Willas. Young children, two boys and a girl, Mark, Kirk, and Kazuna. None related by blood, but by the fact that their parents had been killed by bandits during a village raid. The trio were the sole survivors of that doomed place.

Rex, only twice the size he’d been when he’d come here himself, did what he was able. But Corinne’s small house was not built for five people. Therein lay a conundrum. Never mind the fact that he was still too small to be on his own, there were no available houses in Fonsett. He could have just shared with the young ones, but Corinne felt that wasn’t very fair, and the two boys were already having to share. Rex presumably had nowhere to go.

Until Corinne had a _brilliant_ idea.

“Live? On _me?”_

“Gramps, _please.”_

“I’m a guardian, you know,” he huffed, sticking his head close to her. He made a point to show off his girth. “Not some run-of-the-mill everyday Titan. What if he punctures a wing?”

“Come off it, the children play on you constantly.”

“It’s the _principle.”_ He ruffled his wings. Cracking one eye open, he noticed the lines on Corinne’s face deepening. Shifting a little, he glanced across Corinne’s vegetable patch, to where Rex kept the other children occupied telling them stories or letting them play with the wooden toys he’d been given by the villagers. He looked so content. That boy was unlike any Azurda had met before. Ever since he’d come here, the villagers had wanted nothing but to keep him smiling, and smile he did— even when things were wrong.

He cried a lot, too. He felt things—deeply.

There were not a lot of people in this world with that amount of empathy. And while he lacked discipline, he always listened, and took things to heart when they mattered. It would make him a good Driver, perhaps, but even more importantly— a good person.

“In the end,” Azurda sighed, “that is how it goes with us Titans, isn’t it?”

Corinne seemed startled by this. Perhaps it was his tone, or even the words themselves, he did not know, but she jumped back and twisted her skirts in her hands. “Pardon?”

“My kin and I were created for your benefit— not you specifically, but the humans’ in general. My hide and the Leftherian Titan’s hide all the way to Mor Ardain and Uraya. We were made to help you. In my youth I served in a different way. I carried supplies to armies and covered humans as they fought. I protected the legends of this land. But in these times of peace I suppose it is more useful for me to hang up my pride— there’s no longer much of a need for me, I suppose.”

“Azurda—”

“No, it is quite all right. I’ve been meaning to resign myself to such things for a while now.”

“Stop all that.” Shoulders relaxing, she stepped forward again, running her hands along his stony hide. His wasn’t as sturdy or as well-vegetated as the others, affording him to look more like some sort of advanced monster than a Titan. There were many of his kind within this world, but none others who could speak the words of man. Corinne pointed this out with a smile. “It is the opposite of what you say. If we didn’t need you, we would have been just as content letting you roam Alrest just as you said you did when you were young. But we kept you here. And not once have you protested. Complained, perhaps, but you did not hold contempt for us in this regard.”

“So then, this is the next logical step in my development?”

“I’m no Titan expert, but—”

“Oh, _fine._ Do what you must with me. I will do it for him— but _only_ because it’s him. I’ve taught much to Rex. I still have much to teach him, for as long as he’s willing to listen. Spending his days with me will make such things easier on both of us.”

“Thank you, Gramps, you won’t regret this— you have no idea how much it means to him. And to me.”

She kissed the tip of his nose and hustled off to Rex, scooping him up and telling him the good news. He was nearly too big for her to be doing that, but Azurda figured she’d keep it up for as long as she could. It was just one of the ways she expressed her love. Azurda loved Corinne, and he loved Rex, too. Perhaps having a little human on his back to care for would be more of a project than a burden.

And that was how Azurda became _very_ close friends with Phorgas over at Verde Carpentry. Because at least a fortnight passed with that man trampling over him day and night trying to construct a whole _building_ at the base of his neck. Azurda did not complain once, not once, even when a railing that looked more decorative than protective was constructed around the whole of his back. He was beginning to second-guess this whole affair.

But when Rex spent that first night in the hut that Phorgas built him, and they talked for hours about the legends of Elysium, in a way they’d never had a chance to before, Azurda’s worries completely dissipated. And when that boy opened his eyes, finding himself on Azurda’s back permanently, the Titan would never forget the beaming smile that came to his young face.

It’d been too long since he’d connected with a human in this capacity. He would have no regrets.

 

* * *

Shouts echoed from the village’s direction. Rex glanced up from the book he had open across his knees, looking through the cave’s mouth at Azurda. “Is that—”

“Delivery for Fonsett Village! Goods imported from the Argentum Trade Guild!”

“Right on time,” Azurda noted, as Rex scrambled up the hill his hideaway had been carved into. It had once belonged to Corinne, and she passed it on to him, for when he wanted to get away from the younger village children for a while. Most of the older kids had gone by now, either to Indol to begin their education or one of the Titan kingdoms to do labor and begin a new life. Rex, for the most part, was left out of those conversations— Corinne didn’t have the money to send him off to school on another Titan. So it was mostly she and Azurda who attended to his studies.

Well, them and the traders, who taught him the more practical things in life.

Whether this was good or bad, Azurda had yet to decide.

Rex was one of the first to meet them at the entrance, followed by the shopkeepers aiming to replenish their wares. His grin widened as he surveyed the foreign imports, many of which he’d never seen before. Azurda didn’t have the heart to tell him that Leftheria usually only received the dregs that the other nations hadn’t bothered with. There was no telling whether he’d be amazed or disappointed.

Either way, he scampered over to the lifestyle shops, taking some hunk of metal in his hand. Azurda only caught half the conversation he was having— something about how the contraption had been salvaged up around Gormott. No one had determined a use for it yet, so it was a hard sell in general.

Azurda recognized this trader— a Nopon, who was also a salvager. He was here often, always stopping to talk with Rex about the things he’d found, always stoking the boy’s curiosity. Azurda quite liked him. He was more accommodating than some of the others, who could be downright rude to Rex at times. The little Nopon smiled, his wings flapping up and down excitedly. “Friend Rex truly interested in salvaged thingy-bobby?”

“Well—” He turned it over in his hands. “Yeah, I guess so. Just because we haven’t figured out what it’s for yet doesn’t mean it’s useless.”

“Such good heart. Tell friend what— salvaged thingy-bobby five gold, for friend only.”

Rex’s face lit up. “No way, really?”

“Yes-yes! Special buddy discount!”

“I actually think I have enough—” He reached into his pocket, pulling out a tiny gold coin. That one was indeed worth five. Rex handed the money over, fingers curling around his newly-acquired… thing. “Thank you so much! I’ll add it to my collection.”

“Collection growing very big!” the Nopon sang. “Thanks to salvager-pon.”

“I think he might give you a run for your money one day, you know.”

Both whirled around, startled by the new voice that had entered their conversation. Rex smiled even brighter. Old man Apropos, who ran the only salvaging shop in Fonsett, had come to pick up his cylinders. “I keep telling Rex he should look into Argentum. He’s got a great eye. Would probably make a fantastic trader one day.”

“Likes money enough,” Azurda put in.

“I’m not some greedy merchant,” Rex murmured, folding his arms.

“Eye for gold no thing shamed for,” the Nopon said. “In trade guild, is good skill having! Most especially for salvagers. Thing hauled up look unassuming at first, but might be very important to someone somewhere.”

Apropos nodded sagely. “Not to mention— the reason we have most of what we do is because of salvagers. Titan ships, mechanical blueprints, even things like decorations and jewelry. All of those things were salvaged from the ancient people, all laid to rest at the Cloud Sea’s bed. Even these cylinders—” He flicked one, leaving a metal _clang_ to resound through the village— “came from salvagers.”

“Wow. Our whole way of life kind of rides on their backs, doesn’t it?” Rex quipped.

Azurda huffed again. “My _foot.”_

“Yes, yes! Salvagers very important indeed, but it okee-doodles to be just cool salvager, too. Meh! Did friend Apropos hear tale of Urayan salvagers one month ago? Trip closest to World Tree ever! Urayans pull up treasure not seen before. Heard rumblings say doohickeys fall from Tree itself!”

“Whoa, d’ya think that’s really possible?”

“Don’t see why it wouldn’t be.” Apropos hoisted some of the cylinders to the table that constituted his shop. Rex filed in beside him, taking handfuls of the lighter ones. “No one really knows what’s at the top of that thing. Rumors say that only one person does, but he hasn’t spilt anything, so the best we can do is guess. Who knows? Maybe that stuff fell right down from Elysium.”

Rex immediately perked up. “Elysium?”

“Sure, if you believe that kind of thing. Who knows? If those things did fall from up there, then maybe the technology can show us how to get back.”

“You think so?”

“Why not? We can reverse engineer whole boats and control mechanisms— why not a way to climb the World Tree? If any clues do exist, they’re below the Cloud Sea, just waiting for some unsuspecting salvager to haul them to the surface. ‘The way up starts with way down,’ as the salvagers would say.” Apropos must’ve seen the wonder on Rex’s face, because he waved dismissively. “Then again, the salvagers are always saying strange stuff. They have a whole code, you know? I hear they’re stricter than the Driver-knights of Old Torna!”

The Nopon bounced proudly. “For sure, for sure! But excellent for fast cash!”

Rex bid farewell to them, leaving the two to talk business, though Azurda suspected that Rex was not quite finished mulling over the conversation.

 

* * *

 

Azurda peered through the kitchen window, resting his head on the grass behind Corinne’s house. Rex unlatched the glass, and warm air from the stove rushed over Azurda’s jaw, along with the smell of something _heavenly_ courtesy of Corinne. She waved hello, and glanced again over her shoulder.

“Set the table, Rex, dinner will be ready soon.”

“Aw, but Auntie, it’s not my turn tonight.”

“Fine, then,” she said, smacking him with a dish towel. “You can clean up. I’m sure Kirk and Kazuna will help if you ask nicely.”

“Nah, I got it. They were busy in the garden today. They’d probably just make the plates dirtier—”

 “At least we _did_ something today,” another voice said. Rex and Corinne looked to the door, where Kazuna, Kirk, and Mark stood, stains on their clothes and dirt on their faces. Kazuna had spoken the harsh words, but Rex could tell she was just teasing by the smile on her face. “All you did was talk and spend half your allowance on a metal paperweight!”

“Hey, it does— uh, something, I’m sure—"

“All right, all right, no back and forth,” Corinne interjected. “Go wash up, you two. Mark! Why don’t you go ahead and get our plates ready? While you’re doing that, you can tell me and Rex how it went with the men from Indol today.”

Ah, that was right. With the traders, occasionally, came missionaries from Indol— Leftheria was often associated economically with the Praetorium, since it was so rural. That also meant that the best things _available_ to Leftherians were in Indol, including things like goods and schools. It was relatively easy to get there from this side of the Cloud Ridge— if the Praetorium was feeling generous enough to charter a Titan ship.

And, sometimes, that meant that the children of Fonsett and other villages considered Indol the next logical step in their lives. There was a big primary school there, the most prestigious in Alrest. It was a local dream of sorts for the children to get into it.

But the Indolinians were overjoyed that Mark had expressed interest in their academy.

Azurda smiled softly. “You met with them for a long time. I hope that something fruitful was produced for your efforts.”

Rex, too, flashed a brilliant grin as he lifted himself onto the counter beside Corinne. He folded his hands in his lap, listening attentively.

Mark released a nervous giggle. Azurda thought this strange, but chose not to pry as Mark hid his face behind the stack of plates. “Oh, you know. Talked a lot about the things they required. An entrance examination, just to see what I know. Talked about Indol itself, too— what it’s like to live there. It’s different from Fonsett. More people, more buildings. Less grass.”

Rex raised an eyebrow, exchanging glances with Corinne. Azurda was about to question him further, when Kazuna and Kirk raced in, each taking their place at the table. Mark hastily finished with the silverware as Corinne and Rex gathered the food. In no time, they were eating vicariously, Corinne having set a second pot on the windowsill for Azurda. Mark was shoveling food down his throat so fast Azurda was sure he’d choke.

“Not so fast,” Corinne said slyly when he pushed his plate away and stood to remove himself. He flinched, forced a smile, and turned back to Corinne.

“Ah—”

“Oh, yeah, Mark,” Kirk said, dipping his spoon into his soup. “Heard you and Auntie and Rex and Gramps talking earlier. What’s the school in Indol like? I bet it’s big and difficult like everyone says it is!”

“Yeah…”

Corinne nodded. “Why don’t you tell us about some of the lessons they teach there?”

“Um— Okay—” Slowly, he lowered himself back onto the bench. He picked up his fork again, stabbing at the crumbs he’d missed the first time around. “Well, there’s lots of the typical stuff, like maths and languages. They teach lots of history, too, about things like Alrest and the World Tree and the different Titan nations—”

He seemed to perk up as he went along, the rosiness in his cheeks fading as he grew more and more animated with each explanation. But Azurda still couldn’t shake the feeling Mark was hiding something.

“There are cool specialization classes, too! About Blades and Drivers—”

Kazuna sighed. “That sounds lovely.”

“Yeah! But it’s real interesting, too, ‘cause some of the kids choose to learn about Titan biology, and what _that_ means is they take time to visit the different Titans and see what makes them tick, kinda, studying their habits and all. The recruiter said that’s very important nowadays, because lots of big Titans are just— well, they’re dying. People are losing their homes, you know? They need people to try and figure out why and how to stop it.”

“I heard something like that from the traders,” Rex said. “It’s got lots of people worried. A few months ago one of the Empire’s territories went under, and their capital is being straight flooded with refugees. But apparently the capital Titan’s… sick, I guess you would call it. Titans don’t get sick like people do, but they can’t figure out what’s wrong with it. They’re unsure how much longer it’s gonna last.”

Corinne shook her head. “That’s simply awful. I can’t imagine just losing the very ground beneath your feet.”

“And that’s exactly why they need people willing to study it,” Mark said. “I’d really love to learn about all that when I’m older. But…”  

His shoulders slumped. Just like that, all excitement drained from his face. The others grew concerned. “What’s the matter?” Rex asked, meeting Kazuna and Kirk as they rushed toward Mark.

The boy shrugged. “I’m never gonna be able to go.”

“Who says?” Corinne demanded.

“No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just… it takes a lot of money to study in Indol. Like, _a lot_ a lot. More than I can ask you for, Auntie. More than you have.”

“Oh, Mark—”

Rex frowned. “How much is it?”

“It’ll cost around three million gold for all my years of studying, plus lodgings and board.”

“Three?”

“Million?”

 _“Gold?”_ Corinne screeched. “What, are they running a school or a sweatshop?”

Azurda chimed in, “Perhaps that is accurate. That’s many years of education and food and supplies. Not to mention it being the most prestigious academy in Alrest, even over the Urayans or Ardainians. Three million, to be completely honest, is worth it.”

“Leave it to Gramps to be the sensible one,” Corinne muttered. “All right, we’ll discuss this more later. You children can go upstairs and finish playing. Except you, Rex! Get in here and do your cleaning!”

“I wasn’t going to skimp on you, Auntie,” he said, grabbing the plates as the others bounded up the stairs. He watched them as they left, biting his lip. “Hey— what are we gonna do about Mark?”

“I just— I have no idea, Rex. I’d hate for him to have to miss an opportunity because of something like money. The world needs minds like his, especially now, in the state it’s in. War on the forefront of everyone’s minds—”

“I don’t get the whole ‘war’ thing,” he muttered. “It just seems to cause more problems than it solves.”

“Struggles for power in those great kingdoms might just be out of your scope,” Azurda said. “You’re young, after all, and this land has no use for violent shifts in rule.”

“Except for when people want to make a point,” Corinne murmured gravely.

Rex’s hands balled into fists. “Like when those three lost their homes. War is no good for anyone. I don’t care who benefits from it.”

“My, what resolute morals you have.”

“It’s the stories he reads.” Corinne smiled as she ran the tap over the dishes. “Not to mention the ones you tell him. Although I’m quite surprised the romantic tales of Drivers, Blades, and Elysium haven’t gone to your head.”

“But that’s the thing! Drivers— good Drivers— wouldn’t use their Blades as weapons in war. They’d use them to _prevent_ it. Like you say, Auntie, ‘good sense.’ You’re always talking about it, right? Well, good sense is protecting things, not throwing them into danger just to further some stupid agenda.”

“There’s a big concept. Gramps must be telling you the _good_ stories.”

Azurda sniffed haughtily. “I’ve taught him everything he knows!”

“Make sure you come to your own conclusions, though, instead of just spitting out what old Azurda tells you. You’ve already learned lots of different things from lots of different people. That’s what makes you an individual. So just be sure to _be_ one, all right? That aside, we really do need to figure something out about Mark. Selling vegetables from the garden only gets us so far.”

“I can get a job!” Rex cried cheerfully.

“Oh?”

“Yeah! The Nopon said I have a real eye for gold. Said I’d make a great trader.”

“That’s _all_ we need.”

“I’m going to go talk to Apropos tomorrow. See if getting into Argentum really is as easy as he says.”

Corinne’s eyes softened, and she reached over to tousle his hair. “You really are more than I deserve, you know that? Is it bad that I hope you get denied? I’m not sure my heart could take you leaving the island.”

“Believe me,” Azurda said, “you’ll change your tune once he’s out of your hair.”

“Is that right, Gramps?”

“He doesn’t live on you, last time I checked.”

She laughed, glancing between them with a light in her eyes that Azurda felt within his soul. “Oh, my boys. Don’t ever change.”

 

* * *

 

“What do you think about salvaging?”

“What an odd thing to ask,” Azurda mumbled, though he was not focused on Rex. Instead, his gaze sifted over the new wares those traders had brought in, fabrics and house items and unperishable foods. All good for the children. But with Corinne’s current funds, and the massive debt he himself was in— “Seems like the traders like it enough, I suppose. Keeps food on Alrest’s tables with the economy, and all that, too—”

Rex sighed, leaning back against his bed. “Not really what I meant, Gramps. I was wondering what you would think of salvaging, y’know, for _me.”_

“You know well and good I can’t dive into the Cloud Sea.”

“No! I meant _me! Me_ become a salvager!”

“What?”

Azurda looked down again, to Rex, to the boy who had not so long ago come to the village in the arms of a dying woman— but healthy as any boy should have been. In Azurda’s lifetime, the years that’d passed had been like taking a short nap, only to wake up to find that the boy he’d taken under his wing was curious how to use his own.

Azurda knew he had to tread carefully here. He wasn’t sure where Rex was going with this.

“Where is this coming from, my boy?”

“I dunno.” He dropped his head onto his pillow. “I just— the salvagers that came yesterday. They’re from that dying titan, right? Mor Ardain?”

“Yes. But what you have to understand is that the Ardainian Titan has been on the decline for a long, long time. Long before you and Corinne, or any human living on it currently.”

“Yeah, but— it’s not the only one that’s dying, is it?”

Azurda hesitated. Ultimately, however, he decided to concede Rex’s inquiry. It was best not to sugarcoat it. “No. The Titan kingdoms are suffering for many reasons. The humans have put a strain on them.”

“Resources, right? There’s not enough to go around. The salvagers are trying to figure out ways around that, though. Ways to sell useful stuff, ways to sell stuff just for money, and ways to rely less on resources.”

“I… suppose that’s true. Astute observation.”

“Wait, I’m not finished! They think that, by salvaging, they’ll come across something someday that might help them save the Titans. But what if we can find _more_ than that, Gramps? What if, by looking at all the ancient stuff down there, we can find out how to work ancient things we already know about? What if we can find a way to climb the World Tree?”

“…And find Elysium, you mean.”

Rex frowned, at looked away. “If the Titans are dying, Gramps— where will _we_ live?”

Azurda was silent. There was nothing really _to_ say, not to a question like that. Rex evidently understood, because he sighed heavily, flopping over on his little bed. Azurda glanced down into the shack’s open hatch. Rex’s eyes met him, fiercely amber in the moonlight.

The desperation, sincerity, resolve he saw there—

None of that had faded. Not even in adolescence.

“I talked to Apropos today, like I said was going to. I talked to him about trading. But he saw how interested I was in the salvaged stuff, and how cool I found it, so he let me try on one of his old suits. It fit, you know? So he let me take one of the cylinders out to Ysheva Harbor and look around down there. I found some crystals that could be sold for a decent amount.”

Azurda nodded. “And you liked showing off.”

“Well,” Rex chuckled, “Apropos said he didn’t find _anything_ his first few trips out. Spying valuables is a skill. But the crystals are what’s important, you know? Because I could sell them here—”

“Or at Argentum, for more.”

“According to Apropos, exactly enough to pay for salvager training and a license to trade at the guild.”

“Well, you’ve just got this all planned out, don’t you?”

He flapped his wings again, curving a wide arc in the clouds. Rex looked left, to where Fonsett glowed warm and familiar in the distance. It was safe. It was home.  

It was _too_ safe.

“Mark, Kirk, Kazuna, Auntie Corinne— they can’t make it like we’re going now. Eventually Auntie will go through all her savings and we’ll be left eating tomato roots out of Mayor Willas’s garden. No one wants to live like that. Not to mention Mark… He wants to go to school, Gramps. And he can’t.”

“So, is this you asking for permission?”

“More like a favor.” He turned over. “I got the skill, from what everyone’s told me, and you taught me to use ether to protect myself— but that’s not really enough, is it?”

“Get on with it.”

“I’m scared to go alone.”

“Oh, Rex—”

“Plus I can’t afford a boat.”

“I should have guessed that was the case. Else you would have left already.” He closed his eyes, smiling, though he knew Rex couldn’t see it. “I shouldn’t very well condone a child going off to a Nopon trading guild of all things by himself. It’s just asking for trouble. You’d get swindled. Perhaps even join the mafia—”

“I thought that was just a Nopon thing?”

“Ah, but I’m needed here. What will Leftheria do without me?”

“Gramps—”

“I’m bound here by a promise much older than you are, you know. I have friends, too. They might be upset if I backed out on my promise now.”

 _“Please,_ Gramps?”

"I don't know--"

_I will care for him if you are unable. That is a promise._

Such a funny thing to remember. Compared to his first, this one seemed so new. So young. Less tangible. But did that mean the weight it carried was any less important? Both affected tiny lives— one that had gone away, one that was very much here, now.

He’d promised to protect Leftheria, didn’t he?

Well, Rex was a part of that. Corinne was, too.

That was it, wasn't it? That was everything. Things were getting harder by the day, it seemed. The merchants were carrying in less and less. Visiting more infrequently. The children did not have the opportunities others in the more populated kingdoms had. He'd been asked to protect this place, but--

_Weariness. Worry. Money._

A new solution had presented itself.

How shortsighted he’d been— the land itself was sacred, yes, but no more sacred than the lives which it held. Titans and humans. Azurda and Rex and Corinne.

“Promises _are_ important,” he whispered. “And you know what? Helping you is a part of the promise I made, so long ago. Would you believe that?”

He shot up. “What, really?”

“I think so.”

“But you had no idea I’d even exist back then. How could _I_ be part of your promise?”

“It’s symbolic. Let us just bask in the beauty of it.”

He tried to sound irritated, but it was impossible. His realization had sent ether coursing through his veins with renewed vigor. He’d found a new purpose. And the monotony of five hundred long years was to be broken at last. It was like he was young again— on a mission to save the world.

It was a smaller world this time, granted, but it was his all the same.

“Rex, my boy,” Azurda said, “I will accompany you.”

“I knew you would, Gramps. All I had to do was ask.”

 

* * *

 

Rex held them tightly, one by one, Kirk, Mark, Kazuna. He could barely see them in the light of the lamps hanging off Corinne’s house, as the sun hadn’t yet broken, and all that hung in the sky was a pale cerulean stillness that punctuated the small group’s mood. Rex released the children, his siblings, his family, and hoisted his bag onto his shoulder.

Each had tears in their eyes.

“Be good for Auntie, all right?” he said. “Work hard. Do right. I’ll be back when I can.”

“You work hard, too,” Kirk commanded.

“We’ll be waiting for you,” Mark said.

Kazuna ran to him one more time, and gave him a tighter hug than he thought her little arms capable of. “Bye, Rex. We love you.”

“I love all of you, too. I’ll write. Goodbye.”

He turned to the edge of the patio, where Corinne stood waiting, her fur coat protecting her from the chill in the pre-dawn air. One last time, he took her hand, and allowed her to guide him to where Azurda floated. He helped them both onto his back, and set to navigating a path that would take them through the Cloud Ridge and into Rigitte Harbor.

It had only been two weeks since Rex had decided their future.

Corinne had taken it better than Azurda expected. So had the other villagers, and even the children. There was a great respect for Rex’s resolve. Finding one’s place in this world was never something to question.

Cutting through the thinning clouds was simple. Pushing on to Rigitte was even more so. As they cleared the ridge and parted the mist that hung low over the cloud sea, wisps of silver and pearl swirled around them, kissing Azurda’s nose as if saying goodbye themselves. His heart was heavy, he had to admit. But this in no way felt wrong.

A tiny Argentum Guild Ship bopped in the water next to the port. There, Rex’s little Nopon salvager friends waved excitedly. They would follow this boat to their destination.

Azurda stopped. He glanced back, to where Corinne faced Rex, expression as heavy as Azurda’s heart. But to her credit, she mustered a smile. She put her hands around Rex’s shoulders, still so small they fit in her palms.            

“Be safe, okay? Take care of yourself. Be kind. But most importantly, remember that there are those out there that love you. So, so much, Rex. You can return to me at any time, regardless of you fare out there. Blood or not, you are my child. There will always be a place for you here.”

“I know that, Auntie.” He smiled, too. But there was an unmistakable glimmer in his eyes. “I love you, too. And I’ll do my best out there, _for_ you. And the others, too.”

“Good luck. And Architect bless.”

She leaned in, kissed his forehead, and slid from Azurda’s back onto the beach.

The guild ship’s Titan whimpered as someone ordered it forward. Azurda moved to follow, and Rigitte suddenly was replaced by clouds, the lanterns fading into the morning fog.

“So, this is it?” Rex whispered, a crack in his voice.

“This is it,” Azurda said. “For now, at least.”

He did not remark on the tears that began streaming down Rex’s face.

He ignored the lump in his own throat.

It had been five hundred years, after all. His old friend… he would understand. What were the chances of Leftheria— Fonsett— _Hero’s Rest—_ being threatened after so, so long without incident? That amethyst core crystal had disappeared long ago. No one alive knew Addam’s secret. Except him.

And thus they set out together, eyes on the horizon where the World Tree stood watch over Alrest— a boy, a Titan, and the sea.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
